Researchers have discovered three new species of fireflies in Yunnan

The picture shows the discovery of a new species of fireflies. Courtesy of Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Kunming, April 3 (China News Network) Reporter Hu Yuanhang learned from the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 2nd that researchers found three new species of fireflies in Yunnan - alpine flat fireflies, Lu Persuasion flat fireflies, and giant-breasted flat fireflies. The research was recently published in the journal Zootaxa, an animal taxonomy journal.

Fireflies are the most famous terrestrial luminescent creatures, widely distributed around the world, divided into 9 subfamily and about 100 genera. Some of these genera are distributed only in a limited geographical area. The genus is a group of fireflies that are only distributed in the countries surrounding the Himalayas in Asia and Southeast Asian countries, and it is also a group of fireflies that still live in and around cities and are easily observed by the public. It is divided into male and female types. Male adults have black elytra wings, large compound eyes, and can sustain weaker green light. Female adults are wingless and larval- and milky-white, constantly emitting a strong green glow. The larvae have a flattened body, black or brownish-yellow stripes, and prey on snails, earthworms and other animals. However, because different species of flat fireflies have extremely similar external characteristics in the same insect state, different populations in China of this genus are usually recognized as Yunnan flat fireflies.

In order to explore the genetic basis of the evolution of flat fluorescent fireflies and their biological fluorescence, the firefly research team of the Evolutionary Genomics and Gene Origin Research Group of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, took Yunnan Flat Fireflies as a representative species, analyzed its mitochondrial genome in 2019 and discussed the phylogenetic status of the genus, cloned and analyzed its luciferase characteristics; in 2017, the genome size of this species and its related species was determined by flow cytometry technology; and the reference genome analysis of this species was completed in 2020.

Previous studies have shown that the genus has a special evolutionary position in species phylogenetics, luminesces and biofluorescence evolution. In order to find out the species distributed in China of this special taxon, the Evolution genomics and Gene Origin Research Group of the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with the Entomological Society of Hong Kong and the Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a detailed morphological comparison and molecular phylogenetic analysis of specimens collected by the Kunming Institute of Zoology, especially since 2002.

The study found that there are large genetic differences between different groups of the same species of the genus Oblate, which provides a new idea and standard for the species identification of the genus. Combined with molecular criteria, through the analysis of molecular phylogeny and morphology of specimens of different populations of the genus, and the morphological comparison with the model specimens, the research team found three new species (Alpine Flat Fluorescent, Lu Persuasion Flat Fluorescent, Giant-breasted Flat Fluorescent) and four new chinese recorded species, and described and discussed these species in detail, compiled a search table for Chinese Flat Fluorescent species, and also combed and examined the model specimens of 13 species.

Thanks to this study, the genus has now increased to 20 species worldwide, and the number of Chinese taxonomies has increased from the original 4 to 11 species. These research results also provide an important reference for the future study of species identification and other life phenomena of this genus, and also show that Yunnan has a rich diversity of fireflies species. (End)

Source: China News Network